Bodega in Leicester

First time in this lovely restaurant today. Authentic and tasty food and excellent service by Laura. The happy hour deal on drinks including mocktails is brilliant and the drinks are great. We were so looked after by Laura who gave personal recommendations and was friendly and super competent. The restaurant is wheelchair accessible with plenty of room and an accessible bathroom. Highly recommended!

The ambience and the music is perfect for a nice evening date. Bernardo served us for the evening and he was very patient and helpful with suggestions. The food was exquisite with amazing flavours. Definitely recommended for a good dinner.

Special shout out to Laura and Leanne who were both clearly rushed off their feet but still gave me and my mum brilliant energy the whole way through our bottomless brunch on Saturday. Food was amazing with a generous portion size (used to getting a tiny meal with bottomless brunch at other places), drinks were lovely and the service made the whole experience even better. Thank you ladies!!

Loved the service and staff, lady at the front of house wearing glasses was very nice and also loved the recommendations from the bartender Bernardo

1 and a half hour for 1 set of drinks, food cold and greasy, service rubbish tried to. CHargeD extra for drinks we never recieved. Most stuff on the menu not available.

James was a great server… nom nom… had a great family dinner…

Had a great time at Bodega Cantina in Leicester! The vibe was amazing, and the food hit the spot. Special shoutout to Bernardo, who made some excellent drinks that really stood out – great service all around! Will definitely be back.

recently visited [Bar Name] and had a fantastic experience! The drinks were exceptional, with a standout cocktail that perfectly balanced flavors. Bernardo, the bartender, provided top-notch service—attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. His recommendations were spot on! I highly recommend this place for anyone looking to enjoy great drinks and excellent service. Five stars all around!

Very bland food, worst patatas bravas I've ever had. The refried beans were soup consistency. The tacos had very little filling Save yourself the trouble, go to weather spoons. It's the exact same

Lovely freshly cooked food, genuinely fresh and delicious nachos! Not your packet stuff normally served up in other "mexican" restaurants. We had a selection of 4 other vegetarian tapas dishes, and all were gorgeous, fresh and tasty. Add to that the warm and very helpful welcome from the server (Leah?), and we were happy diners. Mexican is my husbands favourite, and not normally mine, as most places seem more like "ping food", but not here, I will definitely go again.

Superb food, exciting atmosphere, great staff.

Visited today with my daughter, lovely experience food was great, attractive decor and fun.What definitely made it such a great experience was the brilliant service from Laura. She was unbelievably helpful despite being busy . Would recommend

Waited nearly an hour and an half after ordering food. When the food came out it wasn’t good.. all spice no flavour. The waiter was lovely and apologised on multiple occasions. But my friend who had the cola chicken wings ended up unwell all night. We’ve been there before and it was great, but this night the kitchen was overwhelmed and you could tell by the food.

WARNING EXPOSED TO ALLERGEN❗️❗️❗️ We went out to dinner this evening with friends, bringing along our 16 month old son who has a dairy allergy, one of our friends eating with us also had an allergy to mushrooms. We picked this place specifically for its Vegan menu, knowing that it wouldn’t contain dairy. We checked at every point when ordering and when the food was delivered that it didn’t contain allergens. Our friend realised quickly after cutting into her meal that it contained mushrooms. When we alerted a staff member, they took away her plate and also mine that I was sharing with my son. At this point, we became concerned that we were given a meal containing dairy. We waited 10 minutes for staff to come back to us, at this point presenting a new meal to us. When asking the staff member why the previous meal was taken away, and whether it contained diary as my little boy has an allergy. She told me categorically no. When I said that the cheese on top of this new meal presented differently to the last one leaving me concerned, she told me it was cooked differently, the first time in the microwave and this time in the grill which is why it looked different. At this point, we asked to speak to another member of staff to gain clarification as this woman did not leave me feeling resssured. We later found out it was the assistant manager. When another member of staff came over, she was extremely honest telling us we were served a meal consisting cheese, and informing us that the other staff (including the manager) had been discussing it. Meaning they were aware they had been lying to us! No contact up to now from the company to see how my son is despite leaving our details!

Went for food, service by laura was exceptional, would highly recommend

Food arrived quick and was amazing, our waitress Laura was exceptionally amazing

Lovely food, looks as good as it tastes. The homemade nachos are worth the visit alone!

Lots of things unavailable, I can't remember what exactly but it was like no beef, no mole sauce, no fries - it was taking out big chunks of the menu. Had the tortilla salad bowl which was OK, nothing special but super watery at the bottom which made the "crunchy" bowl soggy and inedible. I wouldn't rush back...

Absolutely amazing! We had tortilla platter, quesadilla and couple of cocktails. Food was soooo delicious! Cocktails very tasty! Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.

I went with my family, the place was clean, welcoming and relaxed. Munu choices available for Children and Vegetarians.

Food and cocktails were lovely as always !! Anaya was amazing and super friendly. Had a lovely time thank you xx

I booked my family in for a meal on the 27th of August for my friend's birthday. It was a large booking, my friend was the first to arrive, only for the staff member to shake his head and close the door on him, we had a booking to which he said he didn't care and that they were closed. No apologies. Luckily we were able to book in for a meal somewhere else

What an absolute joke. Booked a birthday meal, booking confirmed, stood outside for ten minutes for a staff member to walk outside and shake his head at us. No apology, we even told them we have a booking and he just said he didn't care. Appalling. Whoever was opening up at 11:30 on Tuesday 27th August: you're profoundly unprofessional Edit, to reply to comment: The alterations was not angry because we were baffled and left. The staff member didn't mention you were closed, didn't apologise for the inconvenience, and simply slammed the door in our faces mid conversation. I have a booking confirmed by your system, screen grab attached, so obviously my details were available if you'd actually wanted to let us know about your error. If anyone had displayed the SLIGHTEST degree of regret for the inconvenience, apologised, explained that you were shut and it was a booking error, or - frankly - in any way acted like humans I wouldn't have bothered to complain. We'd even have been fine with a piece of paper on the door.

Absolutely appalling service, please just go to any other Mexican restaurant in Leicester. This place isn't worth the headache. We came here yesterday, having pre-booked a table for a birthday meal, and the member of staff that should've shown us to our table just shook his head at us. We tried telling him we had a booking and he literally said he didn't care, then shut the door on us. Unbelievable!

Turned up for a friend's birthday dinner yesterday, very rude member of staff just shook his head and said they were closed. Told them we had booked online, had a confirmation, he said "Don't care" and closed the door on us! If they are not open and they accidently took bookings, that's fair but the level of rudeness was really uncalled for. Really upset my friend on his birthday.

Ordered the pork tacos with a side of fries. Although the menu stated it was only 2 tacos I was a bit suprised at how small they were. The flavours were really lovely but unfortunately the textures weren't so much, the taco itself was dry and chewy, and the filling lacked moisture. The atmosphere was good and I would eat here again to try it as it might have just been an off day in the kitchen.

STILL the best Mexican food in Leicester, bar none. Staff are extremely friendly and helpful, Lianne is the best server I've known and always helps with my partner's dietary requirements. Location is great too, plenty of great places to drink nearby. I'd never get a burrito anywhere else - the new menu has made the new Pork Pibil burrito my favorite Mexican food I think I've ever eaten!

We went for lunch and when I asked if I could have a certain table we were told “you can’t have that one” despite the place being almost empty. Food was ok, but burrito was pretty bland even though I asked for the hottest sauce. Wife’s “burger” was a patty in a wrap. Which was, different. Drinks watered down to the point of tastelessness. Honestly if I hadn’t already ordered the drinks by the time the waitress came over, we would’ve just walked out. Shame. I was really looking forward to trying this place after a recommendation, but it really did not satisfy. On the plus side, the prices were reasonable.

Was served by Betty, she was lovely and funny and made it a very nice experience! Ordered the chicken quesadillas which were amazing, all the food was fantastic so very big compliments to the chefs. If I lived in Leicester I would definitely come back!

Usually a great place for Mexican food and cocktails. We really enjoyed the nachos - freshly made, however disappointed with the main courses we ordered to enjoy and celebrate friend’s birthday. Added to this the service we received was very slap dash and rushed even though it was lunch time- you’d just opened. The waitress kept coming over asking us if we had finished when clearly we hadn’t finished our dishes. Furthermore, we ordered the ultimate plate of churrios for the kids, but we’re disappointed with the dish. Overall poor service with food and terrible service from the waitress who was more concerned about receiving a tip at the end.

Lianne and Ben both have amazing personalities and deserve any rewards possible! Dealt with our crazy table of 8 for a birthday and sorted us out the whole time!!!

I absolutely loved my experience in Bodega. It was my first time in restaurant and all the staff were so friendly. The food and drinks were to die for. Lianne was our waitress and she was so welcome it. I would 100% recommend dining here.

Nice place, good cocktails, decent food. Waitresses Caroline made our evening, the girl knows what she’s doing

Me & my partner came here for the first time today and had a early lunch. My partner had the beef brisket enchilada, which I must say tasted amazing and was full of flavor! Would definitely recommend! I had the Dr pepper marinated pork bruitto. It doesn't come with any salad or chips. I was disappointed with the burrito, there was lack of flavor, was very bland. The cocktails are a 10/10 very moreish! Great staff and service! Will definitely go back again but will not be ordering the burrito!

Good food and great cocktails, sadly let down by poor service. The staff are nice but inattentive; during our two hour stay, servers only visited our table to deposit orders - we were never checked on, or asked if we wanted more drinks (which we would have had we been offered). We had to flag someone down to even ask for the bill. The decor is fun if a little tired. Ladies loos also had a strong, unpleasant smell of drains and appeared to have not been checked for some time. For reference, this was a Friday afternoon and the restaurant was no more than half full. Unfortunately, based on some of the sarcastic responses to less than perfect reviews previously, I suspect none of the above will be taken on board. Which is a shame because this place has potential to be fantastic.

Very cold vibes, waitress was young but totally lost. Had to ask for drinks thrice after ordering. Although cocktails were good but atmosphere was very disappointing.

We love bodega! And also special shoutout to Ben in the Leicester branch who is such a lovely guy and made us feel completely at home- he’s exactly what you want from a waiter! 10/10!

We had a awesome meal on Saturday night. Service and food was great will definitely return 👍

Had a lovely lunch, really tasty food and reasonably priced. Fast and really friendly service. Marshall who served us was brilliant, thank you!

Ok at best. No attmosphere. Dinners didn't all come out together.

Fantastic nachos - best I've ever had, and cold Corona - wonderful 😋 Ideal quick lunch. Great ambience, friendly staff

We went to this restaurant for dinner, and Ini was our waiter, when he took our order he checked whether the Moqueca was still available, but unfortunately it wasn’t. On a Saturday evening you should have everything on the menu! Ini was very helpful, and did his job well, and our food was very good, and we had cocktails, and we managed dessert. The restaurant has a nice ambiance, and we will be back again sometime.

10.95 for a small burrito... An edit for the short tempered reply: perhaps adding fries to the overall price might aid your comments. Offering some small bonus to customers here will ensure people are more likely to return...

This was one of the worst dining experiences I have had at this location. I had not been to this location in over a year, as my last visit was unpleasant, and the food was not as tasty as usual, but I chalked that up to perhaps having new cooks. Anyway, today, I decided to give it another try. From the genesis there were issues, and this should have been a sign for me that things would go down hill from that point. First, I placed an order for chicken nachos, no guacamole, and in the place of guacamole add extra salsa. I also questioned the server about being able to request the grated cheese on my nachos versus the cheese sauce. He responded that was not offered, I challenged this and mentioned that I had been advised by a manager that I could request grated cheese. He then responded that grated cheese was not “offered” but I could substitute it for the cheese sauce ??? What??? Moving on, my friend and I requested tap water, the glasses were so filthy that I had to request another glass. Then my order came, there was no chicken on the nachos, no extra salsa, and I could barely see any cheese. I called the waiter over, and he apologised and explained that he put the order in incorrectly, and put the order in without the chicken.Instead of him taking the plate of nachos back and having the correct dish prepared, he returned with a bowl of chicken which clearly had been zapped in the microwave and placed it on my table for me to pour it on my nachos! That was unacceptable as the meat typically is placed on nachos first, and then the other toppings are placed on it, but in my case, I was stuck with a bowl of unseasoned tasteless meat to prepare my own nachos with. I then told the waiter there was not any cheese on the nachos, and he said that there was and he would give me extra cheese. As I was eating the nachos, I noticed a pool of greasy liquid at the bottom of the bowl, I questioned this and the waiter said it was the juice from the salsa. I knew that was a lie, considering there was only a half of spoon of salsa on the nachos, so definitely not enough to generate the pool of liquid. There were less than six customers in the restaurant while I was dining, so there was zero excuses for the mistakes, which could easily be explained away by too many diners and the chef becoming overwhelmed, but not in this case. I am embarrassed I recommended this place to my friend, as this was her first visit there. This was a disaster!!

Absolutely amazing service. The food was incredible and they were incredibly allergy friendly which was a great weight off of my mind. I had many options! Mickey and Josh were great and are assets to the resturant. Made our experience so welcoming. Will defo be back!

Had the pleasure of a lovely meal here on a Sunday evening. The atmosphere, staff and and food are all fantastic. It’s nice to taste food that is fresh on not ultra processed or covered in overly sweet/spicy sauces. Portion sizes and value for money were also brilliant. Also thank you to the lovely gentlemen who kept us updated with the football scores and recommended drinks!

Lovely little find! Weekday afternoon so quiet...how Lovely! Quirky decor, which I loved! Great cocktails and delicious food! Waitress very attentive and friendly which made for a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Would definitely go back and take friends! Fantastic!

I’m really glad I tried this. Good vegan options and the dish I chose was delicious. Friendly service but I think they could’ve done with an extra pair of hands.

The ambience was good, but everything else including the food and service let us down. I won't visit again

Very nice place in St Martins square, only issue we had was that you could hear the bar staff swearing at each other. Not the thing to do when customers are in dining.

Sorry but the food was not great. Seasoning was none existent and didn't really have a Mexican kick at all. I ordered the Dr pepper slow roasted pork burrito but it was absolutely tasteless!!!! The crispy cauliflower was also poorly seasoned and didn't really have any taste!!! Cannot recommend this place at all. The only positive was the staff who were helpful and friendly

Our 1st visit to Bodega Cantina absolutely loved it. Great cocktails. Lovely food. Friendly helpful staff. Been back since with a friend.

The waiter we had was sooo rude! He couldn’t communicate nicely and got frustrated quickly. Food was average. Service was beyond slow too. Would not recommend. Giving a couple of extra stars for the lady waiter who didn’t serve our table but we did interact with her and she was lovely so these stars are for her! P.s dirty glasses even after we asked for new ones

We came this evening for drinks and were very happy, reasonably priced and good atmosphere. Special mention to Lianne for her excellent service, she was great. Will be coming back soon.

I'd been away for a couple of weeks and brought my 3 kids here as a treat dinner. Thought it would be a better experience than McDonald's 😂. Food was really tasty. Maybe a tad pricey for what it was but tasty and the 2 for 1 cocktail helped even it out. But the service was pretty terrible. Took a while to order first drinks then I had to flag someone down for more drinks. It was busy but the staff seemed a bit all over the place. My two youngest got a kids meal (which was very good value) but it took ages to get their puddings out. We chased a couple of times and after 30mins they delivered two undercooked churos and a single scoop of ice cream. No idea why it would take that long! This was bad enough but then when the bill arrived they had automatically added a 10% tip! I know this is becoming more popular strategy and maybe if the service had been top quality I wouldn't have minded but it felt like a bit of a slap in the face. And I then look like the bad guy wanting to remove it. Doesn't make me feel welcome coming back again and I'd suggest you avoid this place if you also feel uncomfortable with automatic 10% mark-ups.

Food very good, and the service was fantastic.

Cozy, affordable, bountiful selection Cool place to bring someone for food hang

We’ve been a few times as we love the Mexican style of food; nachos, quesadillas and burritos are all excellent. Food is freshly cooked and always very tasty. They also offer a really good range of drinks, cocktails and mocktails. If it’s not too busy service is friendly and efficient but as things get busy be prepared to wait. We’ve waited an hour for food to arrive which might be too much if you’re expecting fast, street style food and you’re hungry. We’ll certainly go again but will avoid it if busy.

been a few times recently for food and cocktails, best staff ever. so chilled and so lovely. staff name on the bill was josh who has served me a couple times and been fab but so are all the staff here!! thank you :))))))

Lene was super welcoming and kind, making me feel at home even from a distance! The tiramisu was very good.

Had a great meal. Good quality. Tasted great. Slight knock on the service due to waiting for menus for an extended period and food taking over an hour once ordered to arrive. I would give this place another go in the future

Great service from Betty! Thank you very much!

Betty delivered excellent hospitality to our table and was very welcoming. Top service.

Easiest five star rating to give on my ‘world food tour’ all in Leicester, lovely atmosphere and clearly freshly made food by staff who are warm and friendly, the nachos were tasty as was the Brazilian Maqueca , oh and the two (!) Zombie cocktails I had added some drama Definitely returning again to this place

Unfortunately, it disappointed me even though I was really looking forward to it. I would like the nachos to be crispier and with more toppings. The appetizers we chose, the mushroom and cauliflower tacos, were excellent. The dish I chose was the halloumi burger, which was basically a tortilla wrapped around a whole (!!) halloumi with fried crust. I would have preferred if it had half the amount of cheese. It is not possible to serve a whole brick of halloumi in one portion of food, especially like this. It goes without saying that it weighed heavily on my stomach and it took until evening for me to digest.

Really delicious food and a great atmosphere

Fast service, decent prices. Great for groups. Good range of vegetarian & vegan options. Food sometimes a little bland. Accessibility - you might need help with the outer door. Wheelchair users might struggle with inside - the tables are very close together.

I had a great time at Leicester Bodega. We were looked after by Betty who was an absolute star. Our cocktails were so good and the food as always absolutely delicious. Highly recommended this place and if Betty is on you’ll be getting the best service.

Comically bad food. I went here with my girlfriend for a snack on a day out, and for £16 we received two *very* small tacos, one horchata and one small bowl of rice. The tacos were strangely wet, but the chicken itself was dry. Despite being advertised as molé tacos, they didn't taste of anything - certainly not the rich, sweet, smoky flavor molé is supposed to have. The rice, which did have a flavor, tasted like Uncle Ben's microwaveable rice packets. The horchata was actually quite nice, but it was more like an oat milkshake than anything else. I do not think the people who designed these recipes have eaten genuine Mexican food, and I hope they get the chance to one day, because it is a beautiful cuisine that deserves to be represented well. To be fair to the staff, I called afterwards to complain about the food, and the man I spoke to was very apologetic and assured me that they would have re-made the dishes if I had said something in the restaurant. It's on me that we didn't, and I'm giving a bit more stars for that. The atmosphere was kitschy and silly and I didn't really mind it. If you want good Mexican food, though, I'd suggest finding somewhere else.

Very nice food and amazing service, not a place to be missed!! Cocktails and food were great-Betty was an amazing server.. 5 stars!!

James really look after me and my partner. Betty and Josh had excellent service.

Quick/friendly service from Marshall, good food and chilled atmosphere.

THE MANAGER (JAMES) WAS SO NICE TO US AND QUICK AND LOVELY AND ATTENTIVE. absolutely coming back again!!!

Great food, Great Atmosphere and the best Service from Lianne :)

Really nice food. Friendly staff, thank you Josh!

Excellent service from waiter Marshall, food was amazing and we will definitely be back. Nachos were the best ever.

Treated by my girls for my birthday. What a brilliant place, delicious food fantastic atmosphere. Amazing staff particularly Lianne who made us feel like we were on holiday. Love a Santiago sea monster! Thank you all

A lovely evening, fabulous food and atmosphere. Lianne was a fabulous waitress who was so knowledgeable and gave great advice when we were trying to decide what cocktails we wanted. She tolerated us speaking questionable Spanish to her too!

Absolutely wonderful evening. Great food and drink. Lianne was a lovely Waitress. Muchas gracias !

Managed to get a table even though it was the day before mothers day , food was as good as always service always warm and friendly 😀

I found a new favorite place. The first time I went for their happy hour of 2 cocktails for 10 pounds, I ordered house nachos which were a perfect snack with the drinks, I also ordered the Puerto Rican fried chicken and it was delicious and brought back all my memories of family gatherings in Puerto Rico. Next time I went , we were served by such a lovely waitress that was helpful and friendly. We ordered the brisket and chicken quesadilla which were perfect and is making my mouth water just remembering it. We also got a Brazilian dish of sea food and rice that we didn’t appreciate too much. I will be coming back often, especially for their signature margarita Another edit, the waiter today victor was amazing, very enthusiastic and friendly as well as helpful. I will definitely advise coming for their signature margarita

Great food in a lovely little square. Our experience was made all the better by friendly and attentive service from Marshall. Would gladly come again

Went here for my birthday last month after visiting one lunchtime a couple of years ago. The host was welcoming, but clearly too busy for one person. The food was pretty lacklustre. The selection of tacos were the highlight, but needed some salsa or even lime juice to liven then up. My wife had a halloumi wrap, but it looked more like mozzarella and was lacking any kind of spice. The slaw was just shredded red cabbage with little or no dressing or taste. Although there were quite a few people in there, there was no atmosphere, no music etc. Very disappointing and I won't be rushing back there.

We ordered a selection of sharing dishes which gave a great and unique taste of Mexican cuisine. The portions were slightly small however so I think mains/large plates may have been a better choice. In general, there is plenty to choose from on the food and drinks menu and the decor is quite pleasant to sit in.

I have been going to Bodega for a while now, however my visit yesterday was probably the best in terms of service. Love Bodega for its amazing vibe , great food , music and the service has been mostly good. However , Marshall who served us yesterday was just so warm and attentive, his service was phenomenal! He was not just professional but also came across as genuinely caring and welcoming and showed enthusiasm and kindness with such sincerity. Keep up the fab work Marshall! Will definitely continue to visit

Marshall was an excellent server. Food was excellent. Food took 50 minutes to come but it was a Saturday night but it was 100% worth the wait.

Nice food, quick service. Ben C was a really nice host!

Was looking forward to this place to eat I ent to eat during my lunch break however opening times 12pm waited no one even bothered. Would have liked to try there food but I guess they don't care about their customers and there opening time

Shall I compare thee to a springtime day? My spirit laid sodden and bruised following an abject at best performance from Leicester Fosse. My spirits, mood and evening was rejuvenated by the fantastic burrito and nachos I was subjugated too, in addition to the wonderful service skills of the incredible James, which rendered this a positively spun dining experience. I shall persist my endeavours to eat every main on this menu, and look forward to doing so with James as my co-pilot. Leicester till I die

Waited 35mins for my main, server indignant when I asked why it took so long. in the end, foods wasn't worth the wait, poor interpretation of argentinian/south American food.

Love this place. Food is great, love the aesthetic. Second time we've been and had great service (shout out to Ben C!)

Ben was amazing! Thank you for the lovely food and service

Great shares and lovely cocktails

Came for our second year anniversary. Amazing atmosphere, delicious food and lovely service.

Caroline was our server; she was ever so polite and very helpful. Lovely food and atmosphere too

No photo food didn't last that long ! Really tasty small.portions

Excellent service from Ben C, who made sure our drinks and snack orders were seen to swiftly, and in a friendly manner!

Marshall was an amazing waiter, very friendly, kept checking to see if we were okay and if we needed anything. Great cocktail recommendations too! Fab experience thank you!

Ben C gave us excellent service and was super friendly :)

Josh was fantastic!! What a lovely venue and the food was incredible!! The Dr pepper pork tacos were to die for, wish we ordered more of those. The chicken one was okay but not the best. Atmosphere was lovely, server was great, drinks were great and had a fantastic evening for a really good price.